Make A Filet Mignon in Cast Iron

What you’ll need:

• Cut(s) of filet mignon (I go for 1.5 inch thick or thicker). 7-8 ounces per person is a good size. Important: go for prime, at least, from a store with a good butcher. Leave the cheap choice-grade for someone else to be disappointed by. I buy grass-fed, dry-aged, personally. Don’t cheap out on your meat. Get the good cut for this. You’ll thank me later.
• Salt. Course sea salt or kosher salt is best.
• Cracked black pepper. Fresh-cracked and rough is my personal favorite.
• Butter. I prefer unsalted, but whatever.
• Coconut oil or ghee. (or another oil that has a very high smoke point). Not much is necessary, but it’ll help sear the meat and keep it from sticking to the skillet.
• A cast iron skillet.
• Tongs to turn the meat while searing. Don’t use a spatula.
• An oven.
• An oven thermometer, if you can’t trust your oven’s controls.

How to make it:

• Take the steak out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature for at least a half-hour or so.
• Consider temporarily turning your smoke alarm off, and maybe open a window or two. It’s about to get smoky in the kitchen.
• Pat the steak dry with a paper towel, and season both sides with salt. Use plenty. Don’t add the pepper yet, or it’ll burn while you sear the steak in the skillet.
• Set the oven to 375F, and give it time to get up to temperature.
• Add the oil or ghee to the skillet and let it heat up. Get the skillet hot enough that it starts to smoke a little. (Burner on high here). You want the skillet about as hot as you can get it.
• Add the steak to the skillet, and sear it on all sides (including the edges) for 1 minute per side.
• Once it’s seared, season the top of the steak with the fresh-cracked pepper, add a pat of the butter to the top of each steak, and put the whole skillet in the oven for 4-7 minutes (how long depends on how you like your steak). 4 minutes for rare, up to 7 minutes for medium-well, for a 1.5 inch cut is a good general guide here.
• Take the skillet out of the oven. WEAR AN OVEN MITT IF YOU VALUE YOUR HAND.
• Put the steak onto a cutting board, or a plate. Lightly cover it with foil, and let it sit for a few minutes before you serve it. This is important.
• Once it’s rested, serve it and enjoy!

You might also Make Some Garlic Mashed Potatoes to go with the nice steaks…